10 Easy Fixes For Common iPhone Problems

You use your iPhone for multiple hours every day, so it’s bound to give you some trouble every now and again. So we’ve put together a list of some of the most common iPhone problems along with some easy fixes and some guidance to fix more stubborn problems.

My Storage Is Full

Almost all iPhone owners, especially those who owned a 16Gb model, have experienced an iPhone storage full notification. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to fix this.

The first step is to figure out what is using the most storage, most likely your photos and videos. Go to Settings -> General -> Storage -> Manage Storage to get a list of applications from most to least storage usage.

If it’s your photos and videos, try an alternate cloud storage platform such as Google Photos to upload your photos and remove them from your phone. You’ll also benefit from having your photos backed up in case you every lose your iPhone or encounter more severe iPhone problems.

Another problem might be that your iCloud storage is full. This is usually filled up with either your photos or with device backups. You can have a look at your iCloud storage space by going to Settings -> iCloud -> Storage -> Manage Storage. If your photos are filling it up, try using a service mentioned before, otherwise try deleting old or outdated backups. You can also backup your iPhone through your computer and store the backup locally instead of through iCloud.

My WiFi Isn’t Working

Unreliable WiFi can be frustrating, but follow these three easy steps to get it running again:

1. First check that you’ve got sufficient signal, at least two or three bars. Even at two bars, the WiFi can be significantly slower than at full signal. Also make sure that your WiFi network is still running, test it on other devices and restart the router if possible.
2. If that doesn’t work, go to Settings -> WiFi, tap on the WiFi network you’re connected to and tap on Forget This Network. Return to WiFi and re-select the network, you’ll need to re-enter the WiFi password.
3. As a last resort, go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Network Settings, then try reselect the network and enter the password. Only do this as a last resort as this will erase all of the saved network information and passwords.

My Battery Is Running Low

This is probably on of the most common iPhone problems and there are a couple of things you can do to improve and extend your iPhone’s battery life if you find yourself away from a charger for a bit too long. Start off by turning on Low Power Mode, this is done through your Control Centre or by going to Settings -> General -> Battery and enabling Low Power Mode.

Did you know that there are also some tips for charging your iPhone to extend it’s battery life?

Once you’ve done that, there are a couple of other ways you can further reduce your iPhone’s battery consumption if you’re getting desperate.

• Go to the Control Centre and turn your display brightness down as far as possible.
• Go to Settings -> Cellular and turn off WiFi assist.
• Go to Settings -> Accessibility and turn Grayscale on.
• Keep your iPhone steady and face down or in your pocket so that notifications don’t light up the display.

You can also head over to Settings -> Battery and see which applications are using the most battery life. Try disabling or closing these applications to further save your battery.

If your iPhone battery is dying more often than it should or doesn’t last very long, you may want to get it replaced, you can even replace your iPhone battery yourself.

My iPhone Won’t Charge

This problem could either be the cable or the lightning port on your iPhone. To rule out the cable, try it on another iPhone or try a different cable on your iPhone. If it’s not the cable then there may be a fault with the port. First have a look into the port and make sure there isn’t any debris/lint/fluff stuck in it, this can gently be removed with a toothpick. If not then you may need to replace you iPhone’s lightning port.

My Home Button Isn’t Working

The easy fix is to turn on a virtual home button on the display called Assistive Touch. Open Settings -> Accessibility -> Assistive Touch to turn it on. The greyed out square on the screen is your new home button, and it can be moved around on your screen as well.

The more permanent fix is to replace your iPhone’s home button, which can be done yourself for a few dollars.

My iPhone Screen Is Frozen

iPhones don’t often freeze, but when they do, its usually a pretty easy one to fix, depending on your model.

On Old iPhones – hold down the home button and the power/wake button for 10 seconds until you see the Apple logo appear.

On Modern iPhones (iPhone X and later) – press and release volume up, then volume down and then press and hold the power/wake button for up to 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

Your iPhone should reboot and be back to normal again.

My Screen Is Cracked

There aren’t really any quick fixes for this problem, but the good news is that if you’re even slightly handy or technically inclined, you’ll probably be able to replace your iPhone screen yourself and you can typically do it for less than $50.

I Dropped My Phone In Water

Apple has been trying to get rid of these common iPhone problems by making their more recent iPhone’s water resistant. This mean that most of their newer models can survive a quick dip in a bath, pool or toilet without much more effort than cleaning and drying them off.

If you have an older iPhone, your iPhone’s best chance of survival is if it was off when it fell in. If it was on, try to turn if off as quickly as possible if the display is on, if the display is not on then don’t risk turning the display on and rather proceed to trying to dry it. Towel dry your iPhone first and try get any leftover water out of the charger port, speakers, microphone and audio jack with some paper towel or a dry cloth. Don’t apply too much pressure as you don’t want to force the water further into the iPhone.

Next leave the iPhone in a sealed box with silica gel packets or a product like DampRid to draw out and absorb the moisture. You’ll need to leave it for a couple of days before attempting to turn it on again.

If your iPhone no longer turns on, it is likely water damaged and unfortunately Apple won’t cover this under warranty. You can open your iPhone up to have a look at the water damage indicators to be sure, but don’t do this if your iPhone is still under warranty as this will void it even if water damage was not the case.

I Forgot My Passcode

Unfortunately this is also one of those iPhone problems which doesn’t have an easy solution. The good news is that you can reset the passcode through iCloud or iTunes and make the device usable again, the bad news is that the reset also involves erasing all content and settings as well, so you’ll lose your data.

I’ve Misplaced My iPhone

If you’ve misplaced your iPhone and you’ve got Find My iPhone enabled (which is usually on by default) then you can log into iCloud.com, go to Find My iPhone and click on the missing device to see where it was last located on a map. If your iPhone still has a network connection, you can also get the phone to play a sound, display a message or lock it with a passcode. The sound option is particularly useful if you’ve misplaced it around your office or home, it also overrides the mute function on the iPhone so it will ring even if it is in silent mode.

If you suspect that your iPhone has been stolen, do not attempt to recover it yourself. Report it stolen to the Police and provide the tracking information. Also report it to your carrier to suspend the service and blacklist the device.

Have you experienced any other iPhone problems? Let us know in the comments section below.